Sidelites and transom lites typically include a window unit having a glass or plastic window retained within a window frame. A solid or hollow core panel having first and second facings and a perimeter frame is provided which is sized to fit an opening adjacent the door. Many conventional designs for sidelight assemblies are thus similar to a design for a narrow door, including similar components to a door only sized to create a relatively narrow panel.
Various designs for compression molded door assemblies are known in the art. Some designs include a pair of compression molded door panels which include edges which align with and abut one another to form a hollow cavity for receiving a door core. However, such joints between the two panels tend to pull apart when the cavity of the door is foamed due to the pressure exerted by the foam. Butt joints are also not as durable if exposed to thermal fluctuations.
Other door assembly designs provide for a pair of compression molded door panels including edges which align and form a lap joint. The first and second panels have different but complementary edges. As such, a separate mold is required for each panel, thereby increasing manufacturing costs.
Some door assembly designs include a window unit disposed within a cutout formed in first and second aligned molded panels. The panels are secured to a perimeter frame, forming a cavity between the two panels. Foam or other core material may be provided within the core. The cutout is formed in the panels by removing a central portion of both panels as well as the foam or core material therebetween. The window unit is then secured within the cutout. Such designs result in a considerable amount of waste given the cutout may represent 40% or more of the entire panel. Such designs may also be relatively expensive and complex to manufacture.
Other designs provide for specially formed first and second door panels which include molded inner edges for retaining a window unit. Such designs include a first panel having a configuration different from but complementary to a second panel. As such, manufacturing costs for such designs are relatively high given a dedicated die mold is required for each panel. In addition, many such designs fail to provide interlocking joints which maintain their integrity during foaming. As a result, foam tends to leak out between the two panels, rendering the door commercially unacceptable.
Conventional door assembly designs have not proven adequate as a sidelite design. Therefore, there is a need for a sidelite assembly that overcomes some or all of the above-noted problems, is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and is relatively simply to assemble.